Afterfall: Reconquest Preview

Post-apocalyptic themes are about as common as pixels in video games. With Fallout being the easy poster child, it’s easy to see how the topic gets its popularity, from the bleak, immersive atmospheres to the excellent gameplay and narrative opportunities.

Afterfall: Reconquest is one such post-apocalyptic game. As a third-person shooter, this is a title that could seriously make some incredible waves as an excellent action-packed game filled with gunslinging mutant-killing and nifty enhancements to the standard shooter gameplay template.

This is an early-access title, but Afterfall: Reconquest is already doing a ton of things well while also displaying…*ahem*…”areas of opportunity.” As a shooter it already has a lot going for it, both gameplay-wise and stylistically.

An opening cutscene image, somewhat reminscent of Borderlands but with a unique style.

As a working game Afterfall is a long ways away from completion. If the overall style of the game is maintained, however, this could be an incredible title. The player takes control of a Reaper who, through a small exposition as the first level loads, is someone who hunts and kills mutants in this new world. He’s also apparently been tasked with finding survivors in a camp.

He’s here to find survivors and mutants… and there is NO END to the mutants.

The player finds themselves taking control of said Reaper, armed with naught but a pistol and two reaper tools: a ricocheting flechette cannon and a force field, both charged by the same recharging energy bar. At first one might think, “Ha. Unlimited ammo in a shooter and a shield? This game’ll be too easy.”

These are the same whelps who grew up with recharging health and no Doom’s to haunt their nightmares. Fans of Painkiller will also remind them that a weapon that never runs dry is never a good thing. It means the game’s balance will compensate. And Afterfall: Reconquest does just that: with the screaming hordes.